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Digital amp beat them all? Audio Physic Strada .

The german magazine Stereoplay has(in its June issue) a review of the new Audio Physic Strada monoblocks.
Like most german audio magazines this has also a preferance for ranking products in a hierarcic manner.
Interestinly, the new monoblocks from Audio Physic gets
60 point (on a scale that end with 63 points), while the
mag´s former reference Krell FPB 650 M gets 59 p.
For your knowledge;Electrocompaniet Nemo gets 58 p, the same as Pass X-350.
Althought the fact that I am sceptical about ranking systems
in Audio,I find it remarkable that a digital amp allready
can compete with some of (what is regarded) as "top-flight"
amps!
The Strada monoblocks has a switched powersupply and some
innovative curcuitry,e.g. it seems to be handling signals
of low amplitude in analog way, and switches over to digital mode for higher amplitudes in some form of bridge
output section. Sorry, my understanding of technical german
isn´t splendid.
They deliver 255 W/each in 8 Ohms, and costs about 15000 Euro a pair.
What do you think? Are digital amps taking over the scene
in the years to come, or will there be a "resistance movement" corresponding to that of CD-anlog?
dinos
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
My opinion is that one should buy with ones ears. That said I am very interested in a meaningful discussion of the pros and cons of technologies. I believe most of the real answers to the analog vs digital debate lie in the realm of real world engineering and manufacture, where theoretical performance is compromised by imperfect components. For example the aliasing filter, jitter and DAC linearity in CD players, and the mass, rigidity, and acoustic isolation in turntables.

But at the end of the day I wouldn't part with either my CD player or my turntable, or any of my LPs or CDs.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
...as long as 8Hz is on the groove it's being transfered there to the cartridge and it's being transfered further on to the amplification diveces. Certainly the amplification will not be on the same level as the audiable freequencies and there will be the output curve. Different cartridges can deliver the same 8Hz with the different amplitude depending on how accurate can cartridge read. My Lyra Helikon I believe does it on the respectful level.

On the digital level it's just being simply cut of and 8Hz is toooooo far away from the cutoff point.

The zeros are the values in this particular case that standing after the first digit. In Digital case there are more than you need so if you factor them out you will still end-up with analogue way as more valuable investment still.

Maybe it will be the other way arround later on who knows...?
unsound
7,329 posts
 
Marakanetz, are you suggesting that analog is a better investment because it might be able to reproduce inaudible sub-sonic information that no musical instrument or human voice (that I am aware of) can produce (and if such information were available might cuase nausea in some individuals)? Ironicaly the only place where these sounds ((?) perhaps tactile sensation is a better phrase)might be available is on video sound tracks which is only practical on digital video and usually unavailable on vinyl.
dinos OP
36 posts
 
Vinyl and 8 Hz reproduction? You get serious problems with
warped records, then these sub-frequences, if sent further
up the chain, will charge your amps in vain,and your woofers
will flutter.Marakanetz it´s a good idea, to adjust the
weight of the cartridge, its suspension, and the mass of
the arm so that sub-sonic information (low frequency rumble
and that of warps)form a high-pass filter . This was shown
several years ago, I think in the 70´s, by a dane named
Paul Ladegaard.Like Unsound, I think you have come a bit
off target!And the frequency respons curve in Stereoplay
shows that the Stradas are only down by a fraction of a
dB at 10 Hz. Their subjective bass reproduction is said,
in the review, to be better(lower, with more grip and with
more corpus)than any amp tested before, including Krell
FPB 650 M.
dinos OP
36 posts
 
Sorry, correction;should be:to adjust or match the weight of the cartridge,its suspension,and the mass of the arm, so that they form a highpass filter, that rejects low frequency information like rumble and signals from warped records.
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